After a few minutes of hiding in the alleyway while being hugged by Aria-san, her somewhat tense atmosphere relaxed, and a feeling of relief was conveyed from Sympathy Magic.
Beatrice-san seemed to have left without noticing us.
[……That was close. As expected, if she sees me, she’ll sense my Maidric Aura and figure things out…… Is she shopping? Since she works at the Royal Castle, it certainly wouldn’t be strange for her to come out to the city to shop…… Ahh, Kaito-sama!? My apologies! That was on impulse…… Was it painful?]
[Ah, no, I’m alright.]
I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort at all, and rather, it was soft, warm and comfortable. I was trying to empty my mind and not be conscious of my situation, so I didn’t even have the composure to consider if it was painful or not.It was kind of a lucky pervert situation, but fundamentally, there was no way I could break free from Aria-san’s hold, who’s apparently a Peerage-holder, and considering that I couldn’t shout in that situation, I could technically consider this as inevitable…… No, Aria-san doesn’t seem to mind at all though…….
[……That being said.]
[Yes?]
[……You are…… Alexandra-san, right?]
[………………..]
I wonder why? Even though her eyes should be hidden behind her hair, I can still sense this “He found out!? What should I do!?” thoughts coming from her.
And next to it comes conflicting emotions…… She’s probably having second thoughts on whether she should feign ignorance or not. No, as for me, I’ve already got the answer I wanted that she’s the same person as Alexandra-san from her reaction just now, so if Aria-san tries to cover it up, I don’t intend to pursue it any further.That’s what I thought, but after a little while, Aria-san, looking somewhat resigned, spoke.
[……I apologize for not telling you.]
[Ah, no, you were traveling incognito after all…… Umm, I had been thinking that this might be the case for a while now, but since your voice was different, I wasn’t quite sure enough to ask……]
[Ahh, when I’m working as Alexandra, I change my voice. As I explained earlier, I can manipulate sound, so I can freely change my voice.]
[I see…… Unn? Arehh? You said “when you’re working as Alexandra”, so does that mean that your voice now is your natural voice?]
[Yes. Incidentally, my real name is Aria, and Alexandra is…… well, umm, a temporary name I use for various situations, but in the end, it stuck and became the name I use for work.]
Aria-san apparently didn’t intend to deceive me, and after admitting that she was Alexandra-san, she explained.
[……Umm, Kaito-san…… I- If it’s possible, about this matter……]
[Of course, you can rest assured. I swear I’m not going to tell anyone.]
[Phew…… Thank you very much. I’ve been working as Alexandra for a long time and developed an image of being classy and noble…… and there are many people who look up to me and make me their goal……]
[I had a feeling that was the case, but I suppose your current personality as Aria-san is the real one?]
In fact, she was talking a little while ago about how her image got oddly fixed, and she couldn’t show her true self, so I think there’s no mistaking that. Aria-san lightly nodded and then smiled wryly.
[I’ve spent so many years as Alexandra that it’s not like I’m forced to act the character…… If I had to describe it, it’s like I switch between work-mode Alexandra and daily life-mode Aria. I’m not particularly troubled about being found out, but there’s quite a contrast between me as Alexandra and me as Aria, which can strangely cause confusion…… If I were to meet an acquaintance from my Alexandra side in private, there’s also the question of which persona I should use……]
[Ahh~~ That’s certainly a dilemma. As for me, you were alright as we’ve only spoken a few words before?]
[I suppose so. Thanks to that, I was able to naturally interact with Kaito-sama with my true personality. If I had more interactions with you as Alexandra, I think I would have made up some excuse and fled as soon as I realized you were Kaito-sama.]
When I think about it like that, thanks to not talking too much when she was working as Alexandra-san, I was able to get somewhat close to Aria-san, who is easy to talk to and has a personality I’m compatible with, so in that sense, it feels like things had worked out well.
No, during Maid Olympia, there was so much information overload that I felt a slight aversion, or rather, some discomfort about the existence of maids, so I had nothing more to say to her beyond simple greetings……
[……Well, let’s get back on track and continue our stroll…… Aria-san.]
[……Fufu, yes.]
Even if she’s the same person as Alexandra-san, I’ll still address her as Aria-san. When I called her name with that intention in mind, Aria-san seemed to realize it right away and with a somewhat pleased expression on her face, she smiled.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [A special someone with whom she can be her true self…… D*mn it, this Flag Architect, in the blink of an eye……]
